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Apr 17 2023

Body Suit by Suzanne Hagelin

Titles are important, as is the case with this trilogy opening novel’s title, but I almost didn’t read this one. Body Suit? Sounds like a fashion mistake from my youth. Once I began, the narrative style didn’t grab me from the outset, as the point-of-view characters switched back and forth between a soon to be indentured servant/colonist and a rather prissy seller of space suits. Hold on, y’all, because it gets better! Or maybe the author’s style grew on me. Anyway, the switching back and forth continues as the two-fold adventure develops, but each character fleshes out so well that I genuinely enjoyed each character’s time as POV.

The purchaser of the body suit, Silvariah Frandelle, initially travels to a space station called Guam, where she learns both how to navigate being a servant (called a Contractor in the book) and how to use the fancy body suit of the title, and then to Mars, as a miner at the new Resnik colonial facility. Back on Earth Walter Cuevas, who sold the suit for far less than its MSRP in exchange for some tips on how the suit performs, learns to act on the suggestions that the business savvy Sil Frandelle communicates to him. His fortunes grow by leaps and bounds as Sil helps him get lucrative advertising deals, then offers tips on which stocks to purchase based on her observations while in space.

Both Sil and Walter must deal with Artificial Intelligence entities, too. Sil is introduced to the Companion while on Guam, and the AI is also present with her on Mars. The Companion is really her Taskmaster, but the programmers chose a more benevolent title for the AI, as its job is multifunctional, assessing (or perhaps spying on) her, while also directing her industrial activities on behalf of those who own her contract. Walter, as he grows more wealthy entrusts Daisy, a personal assistant AI who is styled as a young female human, to assist him in his business matters as well as being a loyal and undemanding companion, unlike his ex-wife. But, like any program, even a personal assistant can be hacked….

There are almost too many minor characters to keep straight, quite a bit of action, and sufficient suspense to keep the reader swiping the pages. Sil’s stay on Mars only starts out boring. The plot moves along quite well, actually. I really liked this story, once I got into it, and I am tempted to buy the rest of the trilogy, although the book stands alone well-enough.

Body Suit is science fiction, obviously, but in the manner of great sci-fi, because it delves into some really controversial aspects of the role of artificial intelligence in society. As programs such as Chat-GPT are growing in popularity, the moral questions broached in this novel are timely. Without spoiling the suspense with specifics, the novel also touches on how eugenics might change society, too. But, more than that, there are some interesting word choices in this novel, which let the reader know that some thought went into this one! I highly recommend it.

Aug 9 2022

Retro Review: Michael’s Wife by Marlys Millhiser

I’ve occasionally written about re-reading old favorites, and I recently turned my eyes to The Mirror by Marilys Millhiser, and beside it, Willing Hostage, residing on my “keeper” shelf. However, my favorite novel by Millhiser is Michael’s Wife. When I was in high school, I borrowed this novel from a friend who had checked it out of the local library and read the opening chapters during Spanish class. After class I begged to keep it but was rebuffed. No, I had to get on the waiting list at the library. Seems like I had to wait months before I got to read the book in its entirety. I loved it!

Michael’s Wife was published in 1972 so modern readers should consider it a period piece and be prepared to suspend a bit of disbelief as well as setting aside certain notions of proper behavior. The story opens with the main character awakening in a dry stream bed in the desert. She has no memory of who she is, nor why she is there. She is afraid, however, and her fear motivates her to walk swiftly toward a roadway. Shortly after she finds the road, she is offered a ride from a rough looking man named Harley McBride, who is willing to help her as long as she isn’t a hippie. She assures him she is not, but says nothing when asked her name. Somewhat amused, Harley calls her “Doe Eyes” because he says her brown eyes remind him of a doe he saw while hunting. When asked, Harley tells her that he shot the doe right between the eyes. (Remember, modern readers, this is a period piece.)

While visiting a restroom, our amnesiac main character finds something hidden in the waistband of her slacks: A slip of paper—“Captain Michael Devereaux, Luke A.F.B.” handwritten across it. With this clue, she asks Harley to take her to Luke Air Force Base. Harley supplies lunch and some information as they drive from Florence to Phoenix. Harley stops as a motel owned by his brother in Phoenix, and our POV sees a sign wanting a waitress. She offers to take the job in exchange for a room and Harley’s brother agrees. Once she has the privacy of the motel room, she calls Luke Air Force Base and finally reaches Captain Devereaux. After she utters a few halting phrases, he calls her Laurel and tells her to stay put, he will be there in half an hour.

Okay, I hate book reviews with spoilers. The summary here is only the first chapter. This novel has quite a few twist and turns, and although it was classified as romantic suspense when released, it is more suspense and any romance is secondary. There’s some violence, including sexual violence, so this story isn’t for the faint of heart. (Honestly, I can’t understand modern readers who quit reading when a character loses his temper, but can embrace 50 shades of bondage.) Some of the reviewers on Goodreads were unhappy that this novel is very different than The Mirror, which is a time travel yarn. I get that, but in my case I much prefer the plot of Michael’s Wife. Millhiser is a creative writer who crosses between genres, and she did write other supernatural yarns, such as Nella Waits.

Millhiser died in 2017, so I only felt minor guilt at re-reading Michael’s Wife on a freebie site. She leaves a legacy of 15 novels, and her later works were a series of mystery novels featuring a sleuth named Charlie Green. I might try one of those, or I might re-read Willing Hostage, as I have fond memories of that one as well.

Jul 23 2022

Why Medicare Advantage Plans are Bad by David W. Bynon

Right after my last post, I was injured, quite badly, in a fall. While I had read the title above, hubby had convinced me that Medicare Advantage was the way to go, because “we are healthy.” And, I was, until I broke my shoulder and damaged the nerves which traverse the Brachial Plexus. Within a month of my fall, I tested Medicare Advantage and soon found that I wish I had opted for traditional Medicare.

In Why Medicare Advantage Plans are Bad the author begins by explaining Medicare and Medicare Advantage. Even the name sounds good, right? They call it Medicare Advantage because there are certain perks, which vary depending on which insurance company provides coverage. For instance, mine has vision benefits, which I have used, and gym benefits, which I have not. This book also has a chapter explaining why the government actually prefers that people choose Medicare Advantage.

For those about to reach the age to file, this book, especially the opening chapters, would be most helpful. Also very helpful now (although I wasn’t concerned prior to my accident) is the 6th Chapter, which explains the downside of Medicare Advantage plans for those with chronic illness. The answer is quite simple: co-pays. As a holder of Medicare Advantage, I have to pay $25 (or more) every time I visit a healthcare facility. Right now I am seeing multiple therapists every week. Some days I pay $25 to the hand therapist, then walk to another therapist in the same complex and pay $25 again. Then I do it again a couple of days later. Medicare requires that medically necessary therapy be covered for unlimited visits. Medicare would not require those co-pays, however.

Perhaps I will get “better” although I have pretty much given up on being “well.” But, with multiple providers for everything from therapy to tests, this journey will be expensive. I wish I had read Bynon’s book before I signed up for Medicare Advantage. And, although I read this book, I probably wouldn’t have reviewed it if I had not become a victim of what a nurse in the ER described as a “life changing” event. I started out quite healthy, but that can change, and quickly.

For those who are just going down this path, this book is certainly worth reading.

Feb 7 2022

The Sound of Music Companion by Laurence Maslon— a brief review

Since I was quite young, I have loved this musical, as have many other people. I’ve owned the sound track in various forms, as well has having first a VHS then a DVD of the film. However, recently I read a short but glowing recommendation for this volume, so off to eBay I go, and low and behold, I got the book in a box with yet another DVD and sound track CD. Sweet!

This is what I’d call a “coffee table” book in size, but the content is a bit more than some such books. The forward is by Andrew Lloyd Webber, who was engaged in putting on a revival of The Sound of Music for the stage in London around the same time as this book (2006) but the book itself begins with the story of Maria von Trapp, the subject of a couple of books prior to her story being turned into the now famous musical.

For those of us who discovered the story via the 1966 movie, the musical actually begins a bit earlier, as a Broadway vehicle for Mary Martin. The music was done by Rogers and Hammerstein, of course, and the book takes the reader through much of the creative process, with photos of notes and typewritten song lists, as well as pictures from the Broadway and traveling productions. There is quite a bit of detail regarding the modifications done as the play was transformed into the movie. Fans of the film will know much of the content, no doubt, but there are nuggets of information which should prove interesting for even well-read aficionados, and there are quite a number of pictures taken during the lengthy location filming in and around Saltzburg.

There’s a bit of information regarding the careers of the “children” in the film, and a couple of pictures showing them all grown up. However, the book doesn’t end there. As this play is still being performed in various venues, there is some detail regarding its continued success. The last section is a fairly detailed recount of the revival done by Lloyd Webber’s production company.

When it comes to these photo centric books, sometimes one thumbs through, reading the captions, and that’s that. With this book, I read it, all in a couple of days. While it was not suspenseful, it was interesting and kept my attention from the forward to the credits. That’s rare for me. So, for fans of the film, it a top pick. For those interested in how a feature film is developed, it is also of more than passing interest. And, as it is no longer new, it is quite affordable, too. Win-win!

Jan 1 2022

Best of 2021

There’s a certain irony in the title of this post, as 2021 wasn’t a great year in some regards. Politics seemed crazy and crazier. People seemed to be getting over the virus, for the most part, but some were really sick or lost their lives. Healthcare providers seemed to get a handle on it, but not entirely. Oh, there were some bright spots in 2021, such as overall success for the stock market, and college football seemed almost normal.

And, entertainment, especially streaming video, always appreciated, became even more so. Everyone needs a break from reality. So, here’s some of the best books and shows I enjoyed in the past year:

On YouTube TV, hubby and I both very much enjoyed Yellowstone. This show is a modern western, with cowboys and rodeos, guns, big pickup trucks. The story reminds me of family shows of the past, such as “The Big Valley” which I saw in re-runs when I was much younger. However, the Dutton family is led by a patriarch instead of a matriarch, with Kevin Costner doing a fantastic job as the father of three grown children, and the head honcho of the ranch. His offspring are diverse and all interesting, if rather flawed. The Montana setting is certainly an important part of the series, and if you haven’t tried this show, unless you are extremely prudish or need a knight in shining armor to be the main character, I think you’ll like it.

Other streaming winners include the comedy series, Ted Lasso, which is now in its second season over on Apple TV, and Lost in Space in its third season on Netflix. Ted Lasso is a quirky story about an American football coach who is hired to coach a professional English soccer team. Lost in Space was originally a campy cult classic, but the modern iteration is more far more serious and has killer special effects along with good acting and quite a bit of suspense. The first season was amazing, the second season suffered from the sophomore blues, and season three is somewhere in the middle. Overall, it is one of the better space operas online, far surpassing any Trek or Star Wars recent entries that I have seen. (BTW, my son likes the Mandalorian, but I haven’t seen that, so the comment might not be entirely fair.)

The best book I read in 2021 was probably The Book of Lost Names, by Kristin Harmel. This novel is set in set in Europe, during World War II. In The Book of Lost Names, the point of view character remains the same, but there are some deliberate time skips as the story moves from 2005, wherein the main character, Eva, is quite elderly, and 1942-46, when a young Eva spent several months forging documents in order to save people from the Germans who were occupying France (and threatening all of civilization.) Eva’s story is a real page turner, as there are moments of suspense, of hardship, and (thankfully) success, both in saving children from the Nazi war on Jews, and in Eva’s growing affection for a fellow member of the resistance. While I don’t want to include any spoilers, the book in the title refers to a code added to an existing book in the library of the local Catholic church, and the code included the real names of children who were perhaps too young to remember their birth names, which had to be altered so they could travel using forged documents.

Other good reads included Walter Issacson’s The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race, which I reviewed on this site. And, since I didn’t read them until 2021, I will mention Inside Marine One by Colonel Ray L’Heureux and Star Trek Voyager: A Celebration. None of the honorable mention books are fiction, which is rather unusual for me, as I am primarily a fiction reader. My most oft used source for fiction these days is a daily email from BookBub. Depending on the taste (or tolerance) of the reader, many eBooks are free or very low in price. Reading hasn’t been this cheap since I used to go to the public library every two weeks.

Inflation may be raging, but between streaming and eBooks, entertainment is fairly inexpensive these days. Gas and groceries are skyrocketing, but being entertained is fairly easy. Welcome, 2022!